The specification relates to using a robot to prevent risk to a user.
Travelling can be difficult for people with visual impairment because they may not be aware of dangerous or uncomfortable situations that are near them. Drops, objects, and obstacles pose a threat to the blind person's safety. Although a guidance system might consider these dangers, there is no guarantee that the guided person will follow the guidance closely enough. Any deviations from the guided path might be a potential danger. In addition, the dangers may change, such as when a visually impaired user tries to move near sighted people because they can move in a very dynamic fashion. In the presence of a crowd the blind person could feel uncomfortable of the many people quickly passing nearby.
Existing solutions involve a blind person holding a robot with one or two hands. The robot moves towards a direction and the person follows it. Since the robot is between the user and the environment, in case of a danger such as a crowd the robot receives the first impact, thus saving the user from dangers directly in front of the user. However, the robot does nothing to protect the user against dangers or uncomfortable situations that can appear from other directions.